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SSC
894
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INDIGENOUS
ORAL
HISTORY
FIELDWORK
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
PROFESSOR
|
DYLAN MINER
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
EMAIL
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DMINER
@
MSU
.
EDU
SUMMER
2009
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SSC
894
SECTION
001
OFFICE
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ESPRESSO ROYALE
TIMES
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ARRANGED
PHONE
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884-1323
CLASSROOM
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THREE FIRES TERRITORY
CELL
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242-8783 ÔWeÕre not losing our language, our language is losing us.Õ Ð Joe Auginaush (White Earth Anishnaabe) ÔWe were given speech by the Great Spirit to foster goodwill among ourselves, and to commune with the spirits. It has both a practical and a spiritual end. It is a sacred actÉIn order to inspire trust we must attend to our elders, who have urged us to listen and to talkÐbut to be as gentle in our speech as the balm of the south wind.Õ Ð Basil Johnston (Cape Croker Anishnaabe)
FIELDWORK DESCRIPTION
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This fieldwork is predicated on the act of listening. By listening to Anishnaabeg elders, we will hopefully begin to follow the lead of Maori intellectual Linda Tuhiwai Smith, who outlines an Indigenous research agenda as an anti-colonial and emancipatory tool. Similarly, Paolo Freire places listening at the core of any authentic and revolutionary dialogue. Throughout this co-dependent fieldwork project, we will begin to use Indigenous methodologies to lay the foundation for a fully-developed Anishnaabeg oral history project. Concentrating on the oral histories of Lansing-based Anishnaabemowin speakers, this fieldwork project hopes to [STUDENT-CREATED PROJECT OUTCOMES INSERTED AFTER COLLECTIVELY CREATED]. Following this summerÕs pilot project, the model established in Lansing will be implemented in the chief urban Native communities of Michigan.
OBJECTIVES
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The goals and objectives of this fieldwork are multiple. By reading, discussing, and analyzing Ôtexts,Õ as well as actively engaging in oral history fieldwork, participants will accomplish the following: 1. [STUDENT-CREATED PROJECT OUTCOMES INSERTED AFTER COLLECTIVELY CREATED] 2. 3. 4.
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FIELDWORK IN INDIGENOUS ORAL HISTORY
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2
OF
7
READINGS
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1. Charles Trimble, Barbara W. Sommer, and Mary Kay Quinlan (2008).
American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard
. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast. 2. Susan Lobo, ed. (2002).
Urban Voices: the Bay Area American Indian Community
. Tucson: University of Arizona. 3. Association of Canadian Archivists (2007).
Absrcinal Archives Guide
. Association of Canadian Archivists Public Awareness Campaign.
ADDITIONAL READINGS
> will be available from me as a
PDF
or the books may be checked out from the library.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
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readings 20% transcription 10% field notes 10% reflective journal 20% recording of oral histories 40%
READINGS
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It is expected that we will all do the readings. These readings shall be done prior to our weekly (or bi-weekly) meetings so that we may collectively discuss them. If participants do not regularly do the proposed readings, they will need to write weekly reflection essays about these readings.
TRANSCRIPTION
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You will be expected to transcribe one interview, either in English or Anishnaabemowin (or bilingual). The length of the interview will be determined through consultation between participants.
FIELD NOTES
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You will be expected to take notes while speaking with community elders. If the act of note-taking distracts from fully engaging in discussion, make sure to take post-interview notes. These notes will be handed in at the end of the summer.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
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At least once per week, reflect upon the various readings, discussions, interviews, and activities that you have recently engaged in. This is your chance to begin to ÔanalyzeÕ and make sense of the multiple activities and discourses you are involved in. These may be typed or handwritten.
ORAL HISTORIES
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The bulk of this project is meant to engage the Lansing Native community in an oral history project, which will hopefully later expand into Detroit and Grand Rapids. It is
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894
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FIELDWORK IN INDIGENOUS ORAL HISTORY
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3
OF
7
expected that you will begin to actively interview community members with the intention of reciprocally sharing stories. Because oral histories depend on many outside forces, the number and length of the oral histories will likewise vary.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM
+
INTEGRITY
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In agreement with Article 2.3.3 of the
Academic Freedom Report
which states that Ôthe student shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and professional standards,Õ it is expected that students neither plagiarize nor copy from a peerÕs intellectual or creative work. In addition, MSU adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in
General Student Regulations
1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the All-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in
Spartan Life: Student Handbook + Resource Guide
(http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/index.htm). Students who engage in academically dishonest activities may receive a 0.0 on that given assignment or for the overall course.
POLICY ON ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
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Students with disabilities that may interfere with completing your assigned course work may speak with me, as well as contact the
Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities
to establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a counselor, call 353-9642 [voice] or 355-1293 [TTY].
NOTE
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This is a working document. Additional activities may be inserted or altered as this fieldwork organically develops. This will, of course, depend on the interests and needs of the participants, as well as the time constraints of the academic semester. Let me know if readings become too labor intensive.
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FIELDWORK IN INDIGENOUS ORAL HISTORY
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4
OF
7
W
EEKLY
S
CHEDULE
Week 01 | May 18
Meet + Develop Fieldwork Structure
Week 02 | May 25 | Write Oral History Release Agreement
Readings | Charles Trimble, Barbara W. Sommer, and Mary Kay Quinlan (2008).
American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard
. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast; 15-55. Linda Tuhiwai Smith (1999). ÒArticulating an Indigenous Research AgendaÓ and ÒTwenty-five Indigenous Projects.Ó
Decolonized Methodologies: Research and Indigenous People
. London: Zed; 123-141 and 142-162.
Week 03 | June 1
Readings | Taiaiake Alfred (2004). ÒWarrior Scholarship: Seeing the University as a Ground of Contentions.Ó Devon Abbot Mihesuah and Angela Cavender Wilson, eds.
Indigenizing the Academy: Transforming Scholarship and Empowering Communities
. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska; 88-99. Charles Trimble, Barbara W. Sommer, and Mary Kay Quinlan (2008).
American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard
. Walnut Cree, CA: Left Coast; 57-88. Marjorie Hunt (2003).
The Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide
. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution; available as PDF.
Week 04 | June 8
Readings | Association of Canadian Archivists (2007).
Absrcinal Archives Guide
. Association of Canadian Archivists Public Awareness Campaign. Marie Battiste and James (SaÕkeÕj) Youngblood Henderson (2000). ÒWhat is Indigenous Knowledge?Ó and ÒThe Importance of Language for Indigenous Knowledge.Ó
Protecting Indigenous Knowledge and Heritage
. Saskatoon, SK: Purich; 35-56 and 73-85. Dolores Hayden (1997). ÒUrban Landscape History: The Sense of Place and the Politics of Space.Ó
The Power of Place: Urban Landscape as Public History
. Cambridge, MA: MIT; 14-43.
Week 05 | June 15 | Cancelled Week 06 | June 22
Readings |
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FIELDWORK IN INDIGENOUS ORAL HISTORY
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5
OF
7
Kimberly M. Blaeser (1999). ÒWriting Voices Speaking: Native Authors and an Oral Aesthetic.Ó Laura J. Murray and Keren D. Rice, eds.
Talking on the Page: Editing Absrcinal Oral Texts
. Toronto: University of Toronto; 53-68. Julie Cruikshank (1999). ÒThe Social Life of TextsÓ Editing on the Page and in Performance.Ó Laura J. Murray and Keren D. Rice, eds.
Talking on the Page: Editing Absrcinal Oral Texts
. Toronto: University of Toronto; 101-119. Beatrice Medicine (2001). ÒLearning To Be An Anthropologist and Remaining Native.Ó In
Learning How To Be An Anthropologist and Remaining Native
. Chicago: University of Illinois; 3-16. E.P. Roesch (1991). ÒOral History to Historical Fiction.
Oshkaabewis Native Journal
vol. 1, no. 3. Bemidji, MN: Indian Studies, Bemidji State University; 31-61.
Week 07 | June 29
Interviews
Week 08 | July 06
Interviews
Week 09 | July 13
Interviews
Week 10 | July 20 | Transcription Due
Interviews
Week 11 | July 27
Interviews
Week 12 | August 03
Interviews
Week 13 | August 10
Interviews
Week 14 | August 17
Field Notes + Journal Due

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